In May, the NHS Lothian Local Mobilisation Plan (LMP) forecast additional costs of £149.8m associated with the COVID-19 response across the Board and four HSCPs (health and social care partnerships). Of this, £71m is anticipated in the four months to the end of July.
Scottish Conservative Health Spokesperson, Miles Briggs, said:“NHS Lothian was facing significant financial challenges before Covid-19 struck and now these financial challenges are even greater.
“SNP Ministers must ensure that health boards are properly funded to deliver essential health services during this public health crisis and have appropriate measures in place.
“The poor management of NHS Boards by consecutive SNP Health Secretaries has meant that NHS Scotland was not in as strong a position as we should have been to deal with this crisis.
“Waiting times for operations are going to be longer in all health boards and I do not have confidence that SNP Ministers will be able get on top of these long treatment waiting times.”
Scottish Greens Lothian MSP Alison Johnstone has lent her support to a grassroots campaign calling for urgent action to protect cyclists and pedestrians after a spate of accidents, including the deaths of a three-year-old boy and an NHS nurse in recent days.
Hundreds gathered to reclaim a road in Edinburgh today in a vigil for the deaths, which come after years of campaigning to protect cyclists and pedestrians in the capital.
Alison Johnstone said: “I fully support the many Edinburgh residents who have gathered today to demand that enough is enough. Yesterday a man was killed while he was cycling to work, and the day before a three-year-old boy was killed on a pavement. There have also been other cases of accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians this week. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.
“It’s not good enough to just offer condolences. In 2012 I called for capital road safety summit and raised these concerns at Scottish Government’s road safety group with many of the people campaigning today, and I can’t believe eight years later we’re still mourning cyclists killed on our streets.
“We need to see urgent action on the ground to make streets safer for people walking and cycling.
“If we cannot afford basic safety for people merely cycling to work or walking on a pavement we fail a basic test of leadership. Edinburgh needs to drastically cut traffic, like most normal historic European cities have done.”
Tim Peake will be supporting Skyrora in becoming the UK’s premier and principal company for commercial rocket launches
Edinburgh-based space rocket company Skyrora has announced the addition of British astronaut Tim Peake to its advisory board.
The experience Tim has gained as a European Space Agency astronaut, former International Space Station (ISS) crew member, and British Army Air Corps officer will be invaluable to Skyrora as the company continues its development of the Skyrora XL rocket for providing orbital launches by 2023.
Skyrora has already shown themselves as a leader within the UK space race with a recent full ground test of its second largest launch vehicle, making the UK effectively launch ready.
The ground test, the first in the UK since the Black Arrow Programme 50 years ago, was followed by Skyrora last month successfully launching its Skylark Nano rocket – the first of its kind to take place in Shetland.
Volodymyr Levykin, chief executive officer at Skyrora said: “I couldn’t be more excited with Tim joining our advisory board. Tim’s knowledge, insight, and vast experience in the space industry will boost Skyrora’s efforts to become the UK’s premier and principal company for commercial rocket launches.
“Tim has been at the forefront of the space industry for years. His level of expertise will help us to gain more insight into the rapidly evolving UK space industry and sustain our rapid growth and development.
“As the UK space industry continues to grow rapidly, we must all work together and combine our multidisciplinary efforts to achieve capturing 10 percent of the global space market by 2030, as targeted by the UK government”.
Tim Peake said: “I’m delighted to be joining Skyrora’s Advisory Board and helping to support their efforts to develop a commercial rocket launch capability.
“The UK is well placed to become a key player in meeting the increasing need for small satellite launch opportunities and Skyrora’s innovative ideas and rapid pace of development make them an extremely exciting company to be working with.”
Following Tim’s successful six-month trip to the ISS managing scientific experiments for hundreds of researchers on Earth from December 2015 to June 2016, Tim led a UK countrywide tour to promote his ISS Principia mission to the younger generation.
Tim saw this as a unique opportunity to engage with students and teach them about the science and engineering behind human spaceflight. This created an educational outreach programme of more than 30 projects, engaging and inspiring more than two million school children across 10,000 schools, which is equivalent to around 15% of all school children and one in three schools in the UK.
Tim will continue with his engagement as a highly distinguished and much loved ambassador. In honour of his achievements, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2016.
He was also awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Rooke Award in recognition of going above and beyond, promoting engineering and space to the younger generation.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing the refund policies of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The review began in May and is considering how airlines are handling refunds for flight-only bookings during the coronavirus pandemic.
We have published guidance and advice for both industry and consumers on this important issue throughout the COVID crisis. We support airlines offering vouchers and rebooking alternatives where it makes sense for the consumer, but we have reiterated to airlines that they must provide cash refunds to passengers who request this where a flight has been cancelled.
We do not expect airlines to systematically deny consumers their right to a refund, and our review is considering whether any further action needs to be taken to protect consumer rights.
Airline Performance
Of the eighteen airlines contacted, all have engaged with us on the issues that we have raised, and all have confirmed to us that they are now paying refunds. We have grouped airlines by performance in three categories:
1. Acceptable performance
2. Requiring transparency improvements
3. Requiring processing time improvements
Acceptable performance
Through our review we have identified a selection of airlines that are paying refunds quickly and that do not have a sizeable backlog of refund requests. While regulations state that refunds should be paid within seven days of the request, we understand that there are operational challenges that airlines are facing in the current circumstances that make this very challenging to meet.
We will continue to monitor the performance of these airlines, but as things stand we do not expect further work to be required unless there is a material change in performance.
Requiring transparency improvements
Our review has identified a second group that, based on passenger complaints, did not appear to be providing refunds at all. Having engaged with these airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority can now confirm that these airlines are all paying refunds.
A number of airlines have now introduced new systems for processing refunds. More work remains to be done by this group of airlines to make it clear to passengers that they are entitled to a refund and show that there is a straightforward process for claiming it.
We will allow these airlines a short period to make the necessary improvements before we reach a definitive view on their performance.
Requiring processing time improvements
Our review has identified a third group of airlines which have substantial backlogs of refund claims and which, in our view, are taking too long to process refunds.
This group includes some major carriers with large backlogs of refund requests extending to many months. The Civil Aviation Authority has asked these airlines to provide commitments that they will speed up refund processing timescales.
We have received responses from a number of airlines agreeing to this request. We will assess the suitability of these commitments and, should we accept them, we will monitor the airlines’ performance against them. If performance does not improve in line with the commitments, the Civil Aviation Authority will not hesitate to take enforcement action.
Conclusion
This is the first update the Civil Aviation Authority has provided on its review of airline refund practices. We intend to publish a further, more detailed update later this month.
Only a minority group of airlines have been consistently providing consumers with refunds in an acceptable timeframe, however we have noted a marked improvement across most airlines since our review commenced. We expect this direction of travel to be maintained.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said:“This update from the regulator confirms what we have been highlighting to it for months – that airlines are continuing to disregard the law and withhold huge sums of money from their passengers during a time that has placed incredible stress on people’s financial and emotional wellbeing.
“The time for monitoring and performance reviews has long passed. Airlines have been breaking the law on refunds for months, and to delay action for any longer goes against the regulator’s claims to be on the side of consumers.
“We need to see urgent enforcement action to hold airlines to account, set a higher standard for the months ahead, and demonstrate that there are real consequences to breaking the law on refunds.”
Deliveroo and NSPCC have today announced a new partnership to help children who may be at risk of abuse or neglect in Scotland.
This is especially important during the pandemic as children may be more out of sight than usual. The NSPCC, in a report released last week, revealed how lockdown has increased the risk of child abuse.
The partnership will:
Provide hundreds of Deliveroo riders with free, vital training – It’s Your Call – delivered by the NSPCC to help them recognise children at risk of abuse and neglect
Raise awareness of the NSPCC Helpline with Deliveroo riders promoting the Helpline number on their delivery bags, so that any adult concerned about a child can call to speak to a trained professional
Deliver hundreds of free meals to NSPCC Helpline staff to say thank you for their hard work to keep children safe during COVID-19
During the crisis people who work within their community can play an important role in helping keep children safe and spotting possible signs of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence.
Deliveroo riders, with their role delivering to homes, are well-placed to spot any emerging safeguarding concerns.
Although the lockdown is easing and some children have returned to school, many children are still spending a lot of time at home and have limited contact with wider support networks.
A new NSPCC report, ‘Isolated and Struggling’, brings together evidence from academics, charities and frontline professionals, and identifies three ways in which lockdown has increased the risk of child abuse, such as a reduction in normal protective services.
In May, the NSPCC surveyed over 2,000 adults in Britain and found that over a quarter (26%) were not confident they would know where to seek help if they thought a child or young person was being abused or neglected.
To combat the issue the NSPCC have temporarily made their ‘It’s Your Call’ course free during the pandemic, as well as expanded and promoted the Helpline in response to the situation, which has now received more than 10,000 welfare contacts.
After receiving their training, Deliveroo Riders will be able to play their part in helping to keep children safe from abuse.
The riders will also promote the NSPCC Helpline number with a sticker on their delivery bags, so that any adult concerned about a child can call this number to speak to a trained professional for advice and support.
Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “It is essential that we all play our role in helping to keep children and young people safe.
“Riders and other workers visiting people’s home during the pandemic have the unique opportunity to see or hear things that others may not. Therefore, it is important that they feel confident in knowing what to do if they are concerned about a child. It’s fantastic of Deliveroo to take this positive step with us – together we believe everyone can play a part in keeping children safe.”
Will Shu, CEO Deliveroo, said: “We are so proud of the vital role Deliveroo riders are carrying out during the COVID-19 crisis. As key workers, riders are at the heart of local communities and will be able to play an important role to help keep children safe.”
To show their appreciation Deliveroo will be delivering hundreds of free meals to NSPCC Helpline frontline workers who have been working during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Abdelziz Abdou, Deliveroo rider (above), said: “I am really proud to ride for Deliveroo and have the opportunity to train with the NSPCC and play my part to spot any signs of danger.
“I will also be displaying the NSPCC Helpline number while out riding and hope that this will encourage people to call up and speak to a trained professional. This is a really important partnership and I am pleased to show my support for the NSPCC and all their hard work to keep children safe.”
Over the coming weeks and months, Deliveroo will be encouraging riders across the UK to complete the training and order stickers to support and raise awareness amongst their communities.
The NSPCC Helpline is available for advice and support on 0808 800 5000 or via help@nspcc.org.uk.
The NSPCC has made their safeguarding awareness course, It’s Your Call, temporarily free in response to the pandemic. All other NSPCC safeguarding online training has been discounted, to support people during this time.
We Asked, You Said, We did. In April 2020 Police Scotland refreshed its local police survey to gather views of the public and communities of Scotland.
The survey is open throughout the year to help us identify and understand people’s opinion of their local police service, and any concerns about their safety and wellbeing in their area.
Your feedback makes sure that our approaches to policing, including how we’re managing the Coronavirus pandemic, are relevant and support the communities we serve.
You Said
We received a strong level of public confidence in Scottish policing and support for the approach to policing the pandemic in Scotland.
Confidence in policing has increased significantly, by 20%, compared to before the Coronavirus lockdown. Around two-thirds of people have confidence in their local police. Public confidence is high across all 13 local police divisions. A strong majority of responses from all divisions said that the police are friendly and approachable.
Public opinion on the approach to policing Coronavirus pandemic:
I fully support the approach taken by the Police – 47%
The Police should take tougher action to ensure public compliance – 36%
I support the approach taken by the Police but in some cases they are going too far – 11%
The approach taken by the Police in enforcing the lockdown is too heavy handed – 1%
The Police have no role in enforcing the lockdown, compliance should be a matter for individuals – 1% Overall support for tougher measures is similar to public survey data gathered by the Scottish Police Authority survey and Police Scotland’s User Experience survey (May 2020).
Feeling of safety has remained high since the lockdown with 89% of respondents stating they feel safe in their area. There is a statistically significant increase in respondents who feel ‘very safe’ and a decrease in those who ‘do not feel safe’ on the survey data, compared to data before Coronavirus.
While most (48%) say their concern about crime in their area since the lockdown has remained the same, it has decreased for 16% and increased for 26%. Concerns include: social distancing breaches, antisocial behaviour, speeding and dangerous driving, burglary, drug taking and dealing.
On what matters most to the public (from open-ended responses), constant themes include: visibility (local presence), police support in enforcing lockdown restrictions, communicating and engaging with the public, and understanding the needs of diverse communities during the crisis.
We Did
The survey launched on 9 April 2020 on Police Scotland’s Citizen Space platform. It is the largest of its kind in the UK to involve the public in a conversation about Policing and Coronavirus.
Over 20,000 responses, including approximately 51,000 free text responses, were received. These responses have been reviewed on a weekly basis and have helped us to respond to emerging issues and shape our approaches to policing in local areas.
Our response to this feedback has been to:
Enhance local police presence at identified key locations (including scenic areas, parks, urban areas), with a focus on patrolling during the evenings and after dark.
Increase engagement with over 20 organisations representing the interests of disabled people to make sure our information and messaging is accessible, and to ensure the Police are aware of the needs and challenges of disabled people (including physical, sensory and learning difficulties) in complying with social distancing and use of face masks.
Include the needs and circumstances of vulnerable people in daily Police officer briefings – to make sure the Police engage appropriately and bring empathy to interactions.
Provide information and advice on reporting Hate Crime to reassure all communities.
Offer discreet and safe ways for the public to speak to a police officer including video call.
Improve public information and advice at a national and local level on staying safe during Coronavirus that is in line with Government guidance. Increase police patrols and information in areas where the public have raised concern about reckless driving and speeding.
Provide a British Sign Language (BSL) survey.
We are grateful to all who participated, and continue to participate in this survey.
Diverse views from urban, town, rural and island communities must be heard if town centres are to be revitalised and renewed in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell.
Experts in town planning, public health, transport, and business will take on board views of local communities to build on the progress of the Scottish Government’s 2013 Town Centre Action Plan.
Professor Leigh Sparks of the University of Stirling will chair the expert group alongside members from COSLA, the Royal Town Planning Institute, South of Scotland Enterprise, the Carnegie Trust, the Federation of Small Businesses, Public Health Scotland, Sustrans, Inclusion Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Ms Campbell said: “Town centres are crucial to our economic recovery and renewal as we emerge from lockdown and it’s important we do all we can to support them. COVID-19 has changed the way we all live, work and shop, and we must develop safe spaces that meet the diverse economic, social and environmental needs of city, country, village and island populations.
“By nurturing connections between local producers and retailers and their communities we enhance the wellbeing of our communities.
“Our town centre-first approach has been held up as an example throughout the UK and globally. Now we have the opportunity to develop healthier, vibrant, and greener town centres that support communities to thrive.”
Professor Sparks said: “Our town centres need to be successful places which are socially and economically inclusive.
“The National Review of Town Centres in 2013 and the Town Centre Action Plan which followed have provided a pathway for towns in recent years.
“COVID-19 provides a challenge to our towns and town centres, but also an opportunity to rethink and re-energise our efforts to make towns fit for all in Scotland.
“I am delighted therefore to have been asked to lead this new group at this critical and important time.”
Today we launch our 2020 Social Impact Report, it shows how charities and social enterprises are using our loans to make a difference to the world around them.
The aim of Charity Bank is to leave these organisations in a stronger position, both financially, and in terms of their ability to carry out their mission.
Last year, 67 borrowers used a new Charity Bank loan to support their mission. Some used their loan to expand services and reach more people. Others used it to improve their financial stability by reducing their reliance on grant funding, increasing their assets or cutting their outgoings, putting them in a stronger position to help local communities for many years to come.
We invite you to look inside our report and find out more.
Which? is calling for action to help the most vulnerable after it found that more than a quarter could be at risk of going hungry because they have faced difficulty accessing basic food and essential groceries.
With shielding measures due to end soon in some parts of the UK, the consumer champion is calling on the UK’s four governments to extend free food parcels and other support for those who need it, to avoid millions of people being left behind if support is suddenly withdrawn.
Months into lockdown, Which? has found huge inconsistencies across the four nations with many people still finding the current system chaotic and overly complicated.
Which? heard reports of care home workers forced to queue in busy supermarkets several times a day for basics like bread and milk – risking further spread of the virus – because they could not secure the delivery slots that they needed to provide for their residents.
Other concerning reports included a 93-year-old lady who had to wait 11 weeks for her first food parcel despite registering in week one and a 71-year-old with shingles who had to wait a month between supermarket click and collect slots.
The new research from Which? found that more than one in four (28%) vulnerable people across the UK had faced difficulty getting the food provision they needed in the week before they were surveyed (from 29th May to 17th June).
Which? found that the group of people struggling the most to get vital groceries were those who identified as being situationally vulnerable, meaning they are not at clinically increased risk from coronavirus but still require help accessing food because they are visually impaired or have learning difficulties, for example.
In the UK two in five (40%) situationally vulnerable people reported having difficulties getting essentials in the week prior to being surveyed, however, across the home nations, Which? found an alarmingly mixed picture.
In Wales and Scotland, this number rose to nearly half (47% and 46% respectively), compared to almost two in five (38%) in Northern Ireland and more than a quarter (27%) in England.
Even among the shielded group – those who are the most high-risk to coronavirus and for whom the most help, including priority supermarket delivery slots and food parcels, has been offered – Which? found that there was still a very high proportion of people facing difficulty getting the food and essentials needed in the week they were surveyed.
This figure was highest in England where a third (33%) of those shielding had struggled, while three in 10 (31%) in Northern Ireland, over a quarter in Scotland (27%) and a quarter in Wales (25%) also faced difficulties.
Those who were previously told to self-isolate because they are over 70, pregnant or otherwise considered clinically vulnerable had had the fewest problems getting food in the last week according to Which?’s survey. A fifth (20%), however, did struggle.
Officials say changes to the shielding guidance will only happen if the rate of community transmission remains low, but the governments in both England and Northern Ireland have said that free essential food boxes will stop being delivered at the end of July.
In both of these nations, those considered high-risk will still qualify for priority online supermarket delivery slots as well as being offered help with medicine deliveries and getting to medical appointments.
Which? is concerned that while the easing of lockdown restrictions may make life easier for people who are comfortable with and able to go into shops again, there is still a huge risk that many of those who have already been struggling will now be cut further adrift as they may still not be able to leave their homes to get groceries – especially if it involves long queues, taking a taxi or using public transport.
Which? is calling for access to free food boxes, priority delivery slots and other relevant assistance to be made available for as long as medical advice or practical restrictions, such as social distancing, are in place. The help should be extended to include not only the most-high risk but also those who are situationally vulnerable and have so far been sidelined.
This would mean that central and local governments will need to accurately assess and identify which consumers remain vulnerable so that they can also be given access to appropriate support such as priority supermarket delivery slots or local food provision through other means.
Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection and Food Policy at Which?, said: “It is a real concern that months into lockdown, the current system of food provision is still not working for so many of those who need it the most.
“Some people could now be looking at a cliff edge where shielding restrictions are lifted and they are left to fend for themselves, cut off from outside help in getting essential groceries.
“Which? is now calling for the UK’s four governments to work with the food industry, local authorities and charities to ensure a longer-term plan for supporting all of those who are at risk and need support is in place by the end of July, so that no vulnerable person faces difficulties in accessing the basic food supplies they need.”
